“You can be sure the only reason I’m listening instead of getting on a plane straight to London is because of our friendship. Jazmina, do you have any idea what you did with that interview? How furious our father is?”
“I’ll talk to him,” she says, for the first time joining the conversation.
“You’ll talk to me first. I’m your sheikh.”
“Yes, you are, but you’re also my brother. Don’t treat me like I’m incapable of thinking for myself. If you let me, I’ll explain, but I won’t shout so you’ll listen.”
That seems to calm him a little.
It’s hard to stay silent, giving her the space to speak, but she wants to explain and I won’t steamroll over her will. I don’t want a frightened woman beside me, but rather one who can decide and fight her own battles too.
“I was going on a boat trip with some friends. I didn’t know it was a setup by a fake friend to leave me alone with her brother.”
“What? Who’s the man?”
“Get over it, Kaled. Rodrick already handled it. And it was precisely that action that brought us here.”
“Could you be clearer? How could Rodrick protecting you end in an engagement?”
“I got furious when he texted me telling me to go to a museum, meaning he’d sabotaged my plans. I didn’t bother to check why. I was impulsive. I knew Rodrick needed to get married because of the duke title, and out of revenge, I announced in the newspaper that we were engaged. Honestly, I was thrilled to mess with him.”
I must be unwell, because hearing her tell that story turns me on like crazy. Yes, she’s reckless and unhinged, but she must have real fire under that skin to do something like that.
“Did you stop to consider the consequences?”
“No, I was mad at him,” she says, tilting her head in my direction.
“And how did that lead to an engagement?”
“It’s your fault. You called, and I panicked. So I got on my knees and proposed.”
“I take it back. You don’t deserve punishment; you deserve to be institutionalized. Why would you do something like that?”
“There’s a rule in Rodrick’s duchy that a public engagement announcement is legally binding. After he told me that, there was no way I’d embarrass him by denying it. So we were going to move forward with a fake engagement.”
“All right. I get it. You’ll maintain this farce for a while. Our father will be upset, but I’ll explain and he’ll understand. You two just can’t be seen in public together, because in a few months, after this fake engagement ends, you’ll have to start meeting the princes I selected for you. Consider it punishment for your impulsiveness.”
“No,” I cut in. “She’s not meeting any prince.”
“Have you lost your mind, Rodrick? You think you have any authority over my sister?” His face returns to that explosive fury.
“Your sister has authority over her own life, and she has chosen to accept me as her husband. I don’t want this to turn into a war between us, Kaled, but I will make it one if necessary. You heard everything from the beginning, you just chose not to understand. We’re engaged. This is no longer a joke. Jazmina will be my wife. I prefer to have your consent, but if I don’t, it won’t stop me from making your sister my wife.”
He stands, and I’m sure that if this weren’t a video call, we’d already be throwing punches like in the past. “This will never work. Beyond coming from entirely different cultures, I know the kind of marriage you want, Rodrick.”
Jazmina, who had been barely breathing beside me, finally speaks again. “The kind of marriage hewanted. Past tense. We already talked about our terms and cleared everything up.”
“In any case, it’s still a marriage of convenience,” he says.
I see Adeela step into the frame behind him. She must’ve just arrived.
“Like ours,” she says, wrapping her arms around him. “Congratulations, Jazmina. When are you two coming to celebrate?”
“Hi, my friend. We still need to settle some of the . . .uh . . .terms of the agreement.”
“I didn’t say I agreed,” Kaled mutters.
“With all due respect and love, my sheikh,” Jazmina says, “I’m not asking for your permission. I’m telling you I’m going to marry Rodrick. I’m not interested in any prince you want to introduce me to. I’ve already chosen my husband.”